education options. The first of these options, reserved for the most academically talentedstudents, is the Gymnasium (grades 5-12). Successful completion of the Gymnasium results in adiploma and prepares students for university study or for a dual academic and vocationalcredential. Another option is the Realschule (grades 5 – 10), the completion of which leads to“part-time vocation schools and higher education vocational schools.”14 Students with highacademic achievement at the Realschule, upon graduation, can switch to a Gymnasium andcomplete the necessary studies for a diploma. A third option is the Hauptschule (grades 5 – 9)which “teaches similar subject matter as the Realschule and Gymnasium, but at a slower paceand with some vocational